Der Blogger

"Enough is enough!" "This can't go on!" "This has to stop!" These were among the comments that came through the blizzard of commentary after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County. We have heard these words before.

Wanderlust

As a travel destination, Germany has never been more popular. With tourist numbers forecast to rise for an eighth consecutive year, what is the country doing right to account for its thriving visitor numbers?

Akademia

For education experts, English language lessons have proven valuable in primary schools in North Rhine-Westphalia. But the Alternative for Germany’s state parliamentary group in NRW have a rather different view.

Essen & Trinken

Police in the city of Osnabrück had to clear crowds in front of a new döner kebab shop on Tuesday, after about 150 hungry people packed the street outside, eager to get their hands on a döner for only €0.01.

Germericana

Many Americans have German ancestors — and that's also the case for actress Meghan Markle, who will be marrying Prince Harry, himself a descendant of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a German dynasty.

German MEP demands that Brexit ends hated EU marmalade law

The rare British victory in Brussels has stuck in the craw of Germans and Austrians ever since. Traditionally, jams made from other fruits, such as plums or strawberries, were called marmalade in those countries.

But under Germany’s Konfitürenverordnung (Jam Regulation), which imposed the EU directive into national law, non-citrus jams must be branded “konfitüre” and not marmalade.

To many Germans, the loss of the word marmalade was hard to swallow. It has a homey, comforting ring that konfitüre does not.

Jakob von Weizsäcker, a German socialist member of the European Parliament, believes that Brexit is the perfect opportunity to put that historical wrong right.

In a parliamentary question addressed to EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, the MEP for Thuringia said the European Commission should change the marmalade law.

He said, “To avoid overwhelming our British friends, the term has been used exclusively for citrus fruit marmalades throughout the EU since 1979 — to the disappointment of consumers, particularly in Germany and Austria, who since then have only been able to buy fruit spread or jams instead of normal marmalade.

“Allowing marmalade to be called marmalade again could therefore help to sweeten the bitter aftertaste of Brexit for many EU citizens.”

The scion of the illustrious von Weizsäcker dynasty, a line that includes presidents, philosophers and nuclear physicists, added, “Has the Commission already considered reviewing the directive as part of the United Kingdom’s pending exit from the EU in order to stop the term ‘marmalade’ from being restricted to citrus fruits?”

Commissioner Hogan dashed the hopes of the 47-year-old in a written answer to the question.

He told von Weizsäcker, “The Commission has at this stage no plans to review Council Directive 2001/113/EC relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée intended for human consumption.”

Kultur

The German term "Heimat," often translated as "homeland," was long thought of as tacky, regressive, and even politically dubious. But since the election, German politicians across the spectrum are using it once again.

Das Kino

This month's Berlin film festival, Europe's first major cinema showcase in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations, will shine a light on sexual misconduct in the industry, its director said on Tuesday.

Gesundheit

In the run-up to international World Cancer Day on Sunday, experts have said that about half of all cancer cases in Germany could be prevented by a healthier lifestyle. Across the country, around 500,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year. But experts say things like exercise could cut this figure in half. “Movement can […]